Batting

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass.—Sophomore Matt Hanks sacrifice fly in the seventh broke a 7-7 tie and Coast Guard tied a school record with its 21st win of the season beating Massachusetts Maritime 9-7 in a non-conference game.

Coast Guard which has won four straight and seven of its last eight, improves to 21-11 overall while the Buccaneers drop to 7-14 on the season. Coast Guard also won 21 games in 1994 and 2011.

Coast Guard took an early edge in its first at-bat when sophomore Tim Betts drew a bases loaded walk and extended that lead to 2-0 in the third on an error. The host Buccaneers evened matters in the third when senior Aram Mulhern scored on a wild pitch and freshman Matt King followed with a sacrifice fly, but the Bears regained a 3-2 advantage in the fourth when senior Joe Petry reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a double off the bat of sophomore Dan Sabourin.

Massachusetts Maritime took its first lead of the day in the bottom of the fourth when freshman Gregory Downs blasted his first collegiate home run, a two-run shot to left, and the hosts added two more tallies in the frame on an RBI single by freshman Michael Lenane and a fielder's choice on a double steal attempt.

Coast Guard answered back with a pair of runs in the fifth on an RBI double off the bat of senior Ed Sella, who later scored on a wild pitch, and the visitors regained the lead at 7-6 in the sixth on bases loaded walks issued to senior Mike Massaro and junior Lukas Laplante.

The Buccaneers forged that 7-7 deadlock in the bottom of the sixth on Mulhern's run-scoring double, but the Bears took the lead for good in the seventh when Petry singled, advanced to second on a passed ball and to third on Sabourin's single before scoring on Hanks's sacrifice fly. Sabourin provided an insurance run later in the inning on a throwing error.

Mulhern and sophomore Bobby Rosano each had three hits as part of a 12-hit effort at the plate for Massachusetts Maritime, as Lenane chipped in with a pair of hits as well for the hosts. Junior Chris Gallagher suffered the setback on the mound for the Buccaneers, as he allowed an earned run in the seventh to fall to 0-3 on the season.

Sophomore Anthony Martin (1-2) picked up the win in relief as he worked 2 1/3 innings and allowed three hits and one run and struck out three. Sophomore Andrew Lucak followed with 2 1/3 innings of two hit relief while allowing a pair of hits in the ninth. Senior Derek Petty came on with runners on first and third with one out and got a pop up and ground out to register his second save of the season.

Senior Tyler Babkiewich had a pair of hits and scored a pair of runs to tie the Coast Guard career record with 109 runs scored also held by Aaron Holler (2000-'03).

Freshman Kyle Wood, who made two outstanding defensive plays at third base, Sabourin and Sella each had two hits in the win, both of Sella's hits were doubles to deep left field, while Sabourin also doubled.

"We got a nice performance from our bullpen this afternoon and we found a way to win," said head coach C.C. Grant. "We are playing good baseball right now and look forward to a tough three-game series with Babson this weekend."

The Bears are back in action tomorrow when they open a three-game New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) weekend series at Babson at 3:30 p.m.

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